Fastening device



Jly 2, 1946.

G. c. SULLIVAN 2,403,247

FASTENING bEvIcE Filled Dec. 19. 1942 s muli Zmventor Patented July 2, 1946 FAs'rENING DEvIcE George C. Sullivan, Hollywood, Calif.,l assignor to Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif.

Application December 19, 1942, 4Serial No. 469,517

7 Claims. Y 1

This invention relates to improvements in ias-` tening devices, and more particularly to fastening devices which may be installed and operated from one side'of a structure; that is a coupling or fastener to make a connection between parts or members such as plates or sheets of material which are accessible from one side only. These installations are commonly known' as blind installations. This device is useful particularly where it is under high shear and ybearing loads.

This invention nds lits principal application in connection with industries which are concerned with the use of a large amount of sheet material, for the device offers an eilicient means ci" fasteningsuch material, whether it be of metal, wood, plastic or otherwise. The fastener has usage in the aircraft, automobile, household appliance, heavy machinery and equipment, the transportation industry, and other industries. It may be used as a locating pin, a clamp, a rivet, al removable coupling, a blind bolt, or the like joining or attaching means as is required bythe particular installation. I

There are, at present, devices which may be used in blind installations, however, to my knowledge, they all pertain to a unit which eitheris not demountable or removable after once being installed, or if demountable the nut portion of the unit remains witha the structure'. My invention discloses a unit which is constructed as a simple, one-piece-assembled fastener which can be completely installed and removed as a unit.

Other objects and features of the invention will be evident hereinafter.

The invention will be described by reference to the accompanying drawing of a preferred embodiment thereof in which:

Figure 1 discloses the plan form of the fastener the unlocked, that' is, in the inserting .position The prior art will disclose' several designs of V locating pins or bolts, in which the nut may be locked because of eccentric operating means as is disclosed in my invention. These devices are commonly held taut bymeans of resilient elements,'such as springs, etc. In many usages of.

such a device, the inherentresilient feature is very undesirable as it does not necessarily' hold the parts together under reasonable tension loads, thus this type of fastener isan undependable and inaccurate means of fastening. My inven tion discloses a novel means of producing'a fastener of this type with the additional desirable ability and advantage of positive tightening and A further object of my invention is to disclose a fastener unit containing such desirable'fgatures as simplicity in design and production thus producingan economical unit, foolproofand selflocking qualities requiring operation, a liquid-tight unit for use in pressure vessels, etc.

while Figure 4 shows such a unit viewed from the blind side thereof, the unit being in a fastened or locked position.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along 2-2 of Figure '1 with the exception that Figure 5 shows a flush type fastener device, a fastener in which the top surface of the sleeve or bolt is approximately level with the material.

Figures 6 and '7 are sectional views of flush units taken inaccordance with Figure 5, which views illustrate two of the many ways in which the unit may'bejattached to one part of the assembled structure. if so desired.

Referring to the figures, it will be seen that the preferred embodiment of my invention comprises three principal parts, a threaded element or bolt, a sleeve and a rotating element or nut. The bolt can be any of the types commonlyy sold on the market, or can be one particularly designedfor this unit.

Generally speaking, the fastener is constructed in such a manner that the sleeve and nut will.

- llt into a hole or opening in the structural onlysimpletoolsfor,44

roms the nut, I 4`iucressingmesns elements to be fastened together.;` After the unit has been positioned in the hole, ascrew driver. coin. wrench or other suitable tool may be used to rotate the bolt and the nut to such -a position, Preferably about degrees, that upon further eilortthe nut will be driven taut thus clamping the structural elements together, By reversing the motion, the u nit can be removed or unlocked.

It is preferable thatl the separate parts be produced with minor tolerancesso that a good fit exists between the various elements. thus making it a greater load-carrying device. `Although I 'havefound that the normal friction on the threads between the bolt and nut is sdmcient to prefer to provide a frictionsurface of the fastened between the bolt and the nut ator that the nut, which may be in a blind installation has actually turned into the locking position.

Referring to the detail parts as shown by the various iig-ures, Ill indicates a bolt having a head Il and a shank I2 with screw .threads I3 therea head I5 to prevent complete passage through the structural elements, a shank It, a rotation control means I1 and a concave portion I8 to lock the unit. The rotative element or nut I9 comprises, in general, a threadedly apertured shank 20, a base 2l with a clamping face 22, and a friction-increasing means 23. The aperture in the shank 20 is eccentrically located with respect to the base 2l, it being preferredv that .the eccentricity of these elements be approximately that eccentricity designed between the sleeve element and its aperture.

Figures l, 2 and 4 disclose the essential features of the fastening device. It will be noted that the shank I6 of the sleeve Id may be eccentrically located with respect to the head I5.

on. The sleeve element It'. comprises principally Furthermore, the bolt I0 is eccentrically located f in relation to the shank I6. This o-center feature permits the unit to be operated as a. blind fastener. It is readily seen that as the unit is installed within an opening and a tool applied .to the bolt, that as a twisting movement is applied thereto the nut I9 will revolve from the position in Figure 3 tothe position shown in Figures 2 and 4. Upon further movement, the nut I9 will be driven into a clamping DOSition because of the screw threads I3 on bolt I0 working in conjunction with the mated-threads Ita in the nut I9. Because of the 'overlap produced 'by the concave portion I8, it is seen that the nut IQ may be drawn taut and is locked within the sleeve Id, thus preventing any possibility of the unit working loose. This is a very desirable feature.

Figures 2, '5, 6 and '7 disclosev the -unit in conjunction with a plurality of structural elements 2d and 25 which are to be fastened together.

.In the event the unit is desired to be fastened to the outside structural element 2t, such may be accomplished' by riveting as is shown by 26a -of Figure 6 or spotwelding the head'IE of the sleeve It to such element, as is vdisclosed by Figure 7, the spot welds being shown at 25. Fig- 4 gether, this being permitted by the concave portion I8 which is shaped to allow the nut to drop over or clear the shank I6 of the sleeve element, in which position the unit may be drawn taut. In order to control rotation of the nut t9, I prefer to have some restricting means such as thestop Il which in this instance bothdirections. `The stp I1 is preferably constructed as a pin installed in an aperture in or a projection protruding from the face of the shank I6. It is also preferred that the bolt I0 t closely the aperture or hole 32 in the sleeve I4 in order that the nut I9 and bQlt I0 will not freely rotate between inserting and locking position. A spring or resilient element 28 may be installed, if desired, around the screw Ill between the sleeve I4 and the nut I9 to resist the bendingload on the screw I0 when in clamped position and/ orto resist -movement between these'two parts. Analternative friction increasing means 2t which may be similarto the means 2li on thegnut'can be installed if desired to solve this action which may .be undesirable in certain usages. The means 23 and 2e may be in the form of a iiber, rubber, leather or soft metal insert or other equivalent friction-increasing device.

Various improvements can be added to the unit if so desired. It has been found advantageous to have some means of preventing the tendency of the sleeve I@ to rotate 4within the opening as the unit is operated. I provide slots 30 in the head I5 in which a holding tool may be engaged, thus preventing rotation during operation of the unit. v

In some particular blind usages of my fastening device, I have found it advisable to provide some means of determining whether or not the unit is locked. This may be accomplished in many ways,

` plate,

ure 6 shows the head te inserted between the element 2% and a third member 2l which in turn may be attached by conventional means such as rivets Zta to the element 2t.

Figures 2 anda dier principally in that the latter is a hush-type unit. In these gures, it can be seen that the sheets 2d and. 25 are clamped tcgether between the face 22 of the nut, and the head I5 of the sleeve, this being made possible due to the concave portion S8 which permits the nut I9, to be drawn taut. As will be evidentfrom the drawing, as soon as the nut is rotated into v the locking position, it will be free of the sleeve elea simple one being to provide a small hole tI in the shank I6 of operator can visually see that the nut l@ is in a locked or unlocked position. He may use a sharppointed tool which can be inserted in the hole, and if the tool does not strike the face 22 of the nut I9 it may be assumed that the unit is fastened.

The foregoing description is not to be limiting, but is merely illustrative of a preferred construction, and I wish to be vaccorded the full scope of my invention as is represented by the following claims.

Iclaim:

l. .A fastening device Vcomprising in combination, a threaded element, a rotating element adapted to be passed through an opening in a and a sleeve adapted to be positioned within the opening, said sleeve having a shank and a bore to permit passage of said threaded eiernent therethrough, said bore being eccentrically located relative to said shank, said rotat` ing element having a threaded eccentric connection with said threaded element and being so arranged and constructed that upon advancing'ro tation of said threaded element, the rotating ele'- ment will revolvev substantially one hundred eighty degrees to a position to lock the assembly.

2. i Vfastening device comprising in combination, a threaded element, a rotating element adapted to be passed through an opening in a plate, and a sleeve 'including a shank adapted to be positioned within the opening, said shank having an 'eccentrically .located bore vto permit passage of said threaded element therethrough', said sleeve including means to prevent movement of, said rotating element having a threaded ecto-,td centric connection with said element limits the movement in' the sleeve It through which the having a bore t0 'element therethrough, said bore being eccentrivolve substantially and being so 'arranged and constructed that upon advancing rotation of said threadedy element, the rotating element will revolve substantially one hundred eighty degrees to a position to lock the assembly.

3. A fastening device comprising in combina#- tion, -a threaded element, a' rotating element' adapted to be passed through an opening in a plate. and a sleeve adapted to be positioned within the opening, said sleeve including a shank and permit passage of said threaded cally located relative to said shank, said sleeve and rotating element including limiting meansto control movement of said rotating element'relative to said sleevefsaid rotating element having a threaded eccentric connection with said threaded element and being so arranged and constructed that upon advancing rotation of said threaded element, the rotating element will re.

volve substantially one hundred eighty degrees 4to a position to lock the assembly.

4. A fastening device comprising in combination, a threaded element, a rotating element adapted to be passed through an opening in a plate, and a sleeve adapted to be positioned within the opening, said sleeve including a shank and having a bore to permit passage of said threaded element therethrough, said bore being eccentrically located relative to said shank. said sleeve and rotating element including a limiting meanstion, a threaded element, a threadedly apertured rotating element to be passed through an open- -ing in at least one sheet of material, and a sleeve element including a shank to be positioned within the opening, said shank having an eccentrically located bore to permit passage of the threaded element, said sleeve element including a limiting means to lcontrol movement of said rotating element relative to said sleeve and a concave portion adjacent the base therein .to permit said rotating element to advance and fasten the assembly, said rotating element being eccentrically connected with said threaded element and including means connecting the threaded elethrough the opening and a shank substantially the contour of the opening, saidv conforming to sleeve element to be positioned Within the opening and including a .bore to permit passage of said f threaded element therethrough, the axis of said bore being parallel with and eccentric to the longitudinal axis of said shank, said rotating element having an eccentric .threaded connection with said threaded element and being so arranged and constructed that upon advancing rotation o1' said threaded element, the rotating element will' revolve to a position to fasten and lock the assembly by the tween said rotating element and said sleeve element.

7. In a fastening device to be secured in an opening in at least one 'sheet of material, the combination of a threaded element, a threadedly y apertured rotating element capable of passing eccentric connection with said v through said opening, and a sleeve element having a head topreventv complete passage through the opening,

be positioned within the opening and` including a ed element therethrough and a concave portion to permit said rotating element to advance and fasten the assembly, the axis of said bone being parallel with and eccentric to the longitudinal axis of said shank. said rotating element having an eccentric connection with said threaded -element and being so arranged and constructed that upon advancing rotation of said threaded element, the rotating element will revolve to a position to fasten and lock the assembly by thel co-engaging action between said rotating element and said sleeve' element.

GEORGE c. SULLIVAN.

co-engaging action beand a shank substantially conforming to the contouroi' the opening, said sleeve ,element to Y bore to' permit passage of said thread-- 

